The present invention relates generally to data management methods and apparatuses used for a filing system, and more particularly to a data management method and apparatus used for a filing system in which management data is copied from an optical disk to a hard disk to manage image data stored in the optical disk. Hereupon, the optical disk has a storage capacity larger than that of the hard disk, but has an access time longer than that of the hard disk.
A user of a conventional filing system in which a write-once optical disk stores at its different regions image data and management data for managing the image data first performs a mount process by which the management data is copied from the optical disk to a hard disk when the optical disk is loaded into an optical disk storage. Then the user accesses a desired image data via the management data stored in the hard disk to record new image data. At the same time the new management data corresponding to the new image data are recorded on the hard disk. Finally, the user performs a dismount process by which the new management data is copied from the hard disk to the optical disk before the optical disk is ejected from the optical disk storage.
However, the above conventional filing system has a disadvantage in that it takes a lot of time to perform the mount process and the dismount process whenever the optical disk is inserted into the optical disk storage and/or ejected therefrom. On the other hand, if the mount process and/or the dismount process are omitted, it also takes a lot of time to access the desired image data or the mobility of the optical disk is impossible. That is, even if an attempt is made to use an optical disk for a plurality of filing systems, it can be used only for the filing system in which it is first initialized to prevent the mismatch between the image data and the management data.